The Syrian government mourned one of its academic officials for his murder under mysterious circumstances. The cause of death ranged from murder to suicide. This brought back to the minds of regime supporters the scenario of “alleged suicide” through which prominent security and government figures were killed during the past decades orchestrated by the Assad regime and its intelligence. They started with Ghazi Kanaan and continued with the suicide of a local official in the city of Jableh months ago.
The Ministry of Interior of the Assad militia said on its Facebook page that the president of the International Private University for Science and Technology and former Minister of Transport, Dr. Faisal Al-Abbas, was found dead in the university building in the Mezzeh area in the center of the capital, Damascus.
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The ministry’s statement claimed that the doctor’s body was “shot in the oral cavity inside one of the offices in the university building on the Mezzeh highway opposite Al-Jalaa Park”. Upon examination of the body, it was found that the cause of death was bleeding caused by a gunshot in the mouth and settling in the neck from behind with an 8 mm pistol that was present at the scene of the incident. Investigations are still continuing to uncover the circumstances of the incident.
However, the initial statement reporting the senior official’s killing opened the door to doubts and raised accusations by dozens of political and academic figures loyal to (and opposed to) the Assad regime. This is especially true because the crime recalled the murder of Assad’s interior minister and senior intelligence officer, Ghazi Kanaan, who was killed by nine bullets in 2005, according to Assad’s intelligence reports.
Dr. Al-Mawali Ali al-Khair wrote, commenting on the news of Dr. Faisal Al-Abbas’ killing: “The late Major General Ghazi Kanaan said that he committed suicide; the mayor of Jableh Louay Youssef too. Brigadier General Mohamed Suleiman said that he was assassinated in the Golden Sands in 2008. Major General Jameh Jameh was killed in mysterious circumstances. Today, it is the turn of Dr. Eng. Faisal al-Abbas, President of the International University.”
Khair added: “What have these people done other than faithfully serve this country? To say something – or to help others out of patriotism – is considered by the individual who reduces the homeland and its people to a personal threat. He threatens its existence and its future, and deliberately eradicates you out of fear, despite you having served it for decades.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
